Watch live: Startup Weekend KC opening pitches Friday at 7:20 p.m.

Following Thursday night’s meetup — an unofficial opening to Startup Weekend put on by the SWKC and Silicon Prairie News teams — the 54-hour event officially kicked off tonight at 6 at Union Station in downtown Kansas City, Mo.

But the weekend really begins to take shape shortly after 7 p.m., when participants give 60-second pitches for business ideas they’d like to see built out over the course of the weekend. You can watch those pitches courtesy of the live stream above. You can also follow and discuss Startup Weekend on Twitter by using the hashtag #kcsw.

And, of course, you can stay tuned to Silicon Prairie News all weekend, as we’ll have coverage of the event from start to finish.

A little background on Startup Weekend for those who aren’t familiar: during the event, teams devote 54 hours to building a web or mobile application that could form the basis of a credible business. It starts Friday evening, when participants gather and introduce ideas for startups. They then spend Saturday and Sunday working in teams to bring a handful of those initial ideas to fruition. The event concludes on Sunday night, when teams pitch to a panel of judges.

Sunday night’s festivities begin with final pitches at 4 p.m. and will include a talk from Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran. Dinner will be served, and the night concludes with awards will be handed out at about 7:30. Tickets for Sunday’s event are available for purchase on the SWKC Eventbrite page.